GM WhtKnt's Giantslayer


Recruitment

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I am looking for five folks who would be interested in joining a Giantslayer Adventure Path. I have one player already lined up, and need to fill five other slots.

Adventure Background:
Deep in the Mindspin Mountains, a storm giant warlord known as the Storm Tyrant has seized control of a cloud castle and an Orb of Dragonkind, and is gathering an army of giants from across western Avistan—first to bring the orc hordes of Belkzen under his banner, then to conquer the neighboring realms. Heroes defending the human town of Trunau from an orc raid discover that the attack is just a precursor to the Storm Tyrant’s larger plans. Working their way through an abandoned border fort, an ancient giant temple, the tomb of an undead frost giant, and an elite fire giant training facility beneath a dormant volcano, the heroes eventually take the fight to the Storm Tyrant himself inside his flying fortress. Can the giant army be defeated before it can conquer the human lands of the Inner Sea, or will all of Avistan bow down in fealty to the Storm Tyrant?

Character Creation:
Attributes: 20 point buy.

Classes: Anything Paizo will be allowed, this includes Advanced Class Guide classes and those from Pathfinder Unchained.

Archtypes: Most archtypes will be permitted. I will not tell you before selecting characters if your archetype is ok. If you have a doubt, it's probably not ok.

Races: All Core races are allowed without restriction. All other Paizo races may be considered acceptable on a case by case basis. I will not tell you prior to me selecting characters if your race is ok. If you have a doubt, it’s probably not ok.

Alignment: All good, and all neutral alignments allowed. If you choose to play Chaotic Neutral, I need a strong backstory as to why you aren't locked in an institution someplace.

Traits: Two traits of your choice, one of which must be from the Giantslayer adventure path. No drawbacks may be selected.

Faction: Characters are allowed to choose a faction to work for. Factions bring with them specific benefits as well as requirements. You will be asked, or even required, to complete tasks for your faction during the course of your career. Some of these will be simple, others might place you in difficult situations. Working for a faction has several benefits, including the ability to earn Fame and Prestige that can be used to purchase goods and services from your faction.

It is suggested that if you wish to play as a member of a faction that you have access to the Pathfinder Faction Guide. There are specific details and services of each faction in this guide and it would be considered an important resource to be able to turn to.

Hit Points: Hit points will be gained at each level equal to ½ class HD +1. You will receive maximum HP for first level.

Starting Gold: 150gp.

Character Background: This is a critical piece of the selection process. I am looking for players who are both creative and articulate. Your background should include what led you to Absalom to seek out the life of an adventurer, some information about your upbringing, and details explaining how you came to have the characteristics you have today (traits, feats, etc.).

Each background also should include the following; one close friend, one unknown friend, one known enemy, one unknown enemy, and one contact within your faction should you choose one. Please include an appropriate amount of detail for each.

Expectations:
- It goes without saying that cheating will not be tolerated. It ruins the enjoyment for everyone and kills the game. Don't do it.

- I expect you to make the effort to check in at least once a day. I will try to post moves as often as possible and will check in daily. If you are going to be gone for an extended period, please let me know in the Discussion thread and arrangements can be made.

- If a spoiler is posted that says GM Screen, GM Only, or has someone's name other than your character's, don't read it! This is akin to cheating.

- I have no problem if you have played or read the AP, but I do expect that character knowledge and player knowledge will be kept separate.

Your Application Should Include the Following:
- A complete character stat block, hidden in you post using the spoiler tag or posted as an in-character alias account. If you do not know how to use this tag click on the button below "Submit Post" of your reply that says How to format your text. For a PbP game you should be familiar with all of these tags anyway. If you don't want to create an alias until you are accepted then post the required info in a reply to the recruitment thread.

- A character background. This will allow me to RP with your character a little better, understand their motives, and even tailor hints or dialogue to them specifically. I will look upon those characters with a detailed background more favorably than those with two lines of "I was born, my parents were killed, I was an orphan, I want to kill things for revenge". Be creative! I can tell you right now that this piece is what will get you picked over someone else. The more effort you put into this, the more I will want you at the virtual table.

- A brief note of your posting habits or schedule. If you are more available or likely to post on specific days or at specific times, let me know. Your posting habits here on the forums will be checked. Your post quality will be examined. And I will probably even look at some of your other characters to get an idea for how you interact with other players and carry yourself in a group. Hopefully this will allow me to provide the best players with the best companions. A win/win for everyone.

How to get picked:
1. Write a great background
2. Don't be a power gamer or a min/max munchkin
3. Do something original
4. Make your character memorable
5. Include everything asked for in the application

How not to get picked:
1. Submit a character outside of my creation criteria
2. Beg me to allow some crazy munchkin gestalt character
3. Have a poor command of English, to include grammar and punctuation.
4. Be a sloppy poster
5. Disrespect a fellow poster

All applicants are expected to have read the Giantslayer Player's Guide. It's a free download, so you have no excuse.

Recruitment will remain open until Friday, July 17th at 11:59 PM CDT. The decisions will be made over the course of the weekend and will be announced on Monday, July 20.

Please, no role-playing in the recruitment thread. It will not affect your chances of being chosen (and, in fact, may insure that you do not get picked).


Dotting for interest! I'm thinking about a titan mauler barbarian...

Also, I'm sorry for asking, but I don't understand why you mentionned Absalom in the characters' background.

Silver Crusade

Yay! Giantslayer!

*waves at Dru*


Potentially interested. There are a lot of things that could be uniquely interesting in Giantslayer—Titan Mauler, Titan Fighter, Tetori, Mouser, Underfoot Adept, anything Ranger, or anything Dwarf.

How would you feel about someone playing a less common race like Kobold or Goblin for their racial archetypes against fighting bigger enemies — or would prefer to just stick with more common races (i.e. a Human/Half-something with Racial Heritage)

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@Ythiel
Whoops! I copied the text from another GM whom I adventure with and forgot to remove that. Ignore it, please.

@thunderbeard Common races are more likely to be picked unless the oddball has a stand-out background.

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All

The corrected text for the Character Background under Character Creation should read:

Character Background: This is a critical piece of the selection process. I am looking for players who are both creative and articulate. Your background should include what led you to Trunau. It is entirely possible that you are from Trunau (in fact, at least one of you should be).

Each background also should include the following; one close friend, one unknown friend, one known enemy, one unknown enemy, and one contact within your faction should you choose one. Please include an appropriate amount of detail for each.


Dot.


Dot for interest. May post a character for this, been wanting to play through this AP. What format is this going to take place: forums, Roll20, GoogleDocs?


Dotting for interest.

Dark Archive

Roll20 will be used for the maps, though the actual game will take place here on the forums.


Would you allow the Variant Multiclassing rules from Unchained?


Man, it's going to be hard to justify playing a non-Dwarf fighter with that +4 Dodge vs. Giants, hmm.

EDIT: I had a question, but I was wrong about it. Apparently unchained monks are the only unchained class that don't qualify for archetypes. Dang. I'll have to decide between Underfoot Adept and Unchained Monk, though I expect my character would play out similarly either way.


I have two character concepts I'm working on but are you okay with a guy rping a female character? I've roleplayed numerous characters both male and female over the years. Just wanted to ask.

I'm also unsure about the faction rule. Is this a PFS game and do we have to be part of a faction? Will not having a faction decrease our chances of getting picked?

And two more questions (sorry for the many questions):

One of the characters I'm thinking of lost friends and a sister to giants but she wasn't really orphaned by giants (and yes this is the trait I'm taking too), so would it be okay if I took that trait?

And according to the Giantslayer Player's Guide, one could possibly take the Giant Slayer trait from Rise of the Runelords but to ask the GM first before picking it. Are you okay with that campaign trait being in this one?


Dotting for interest. Not sure what to play, although a Mouser is one I have thought would be interesting. Or an Underfoot Adept.

Will have to put more thought into it.


SCKnightHero1 wrote:
I'm also unsure about the faction rule. Is this a PFS game and do we have to be part of a faction? Will not having a faction decrease our chances of getting picked?

I am also wondering about this.

Lantern Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

The factions that WhtKnt is referring to are different from PFS (although the Pathfinders are one of the factions). Most of them are in the Faction Guide, but several are in other resources. I'm working on a Dwarven Ninth Battalion Battle Herald.


michaelane wrote:
The factions that WhtKnt is referring to are different from PFS (although the Pathfinders are one of the factions). Most of them are in the Faction Guide, but several are in other resources. I'm working on a Dwarven Ninth Battalion Battle Herald.

Ah okay. Thank you for telling me that.


I plan on submitting a Goliath Druid tomorrow. I love that archetype!

Dark Archive

Yes, the factions are as Michaelane indicated. They are not the same as PFS factions.

I have no issue with a male playing females or females playing males. I gender-bend all the time myself.

I am okay with taking the Giant Slayer trait from RotRL, but it will count as your one campaign trait. Alternately, you may select the Orphaned by Giants trait, even though not specifically "orphaned."


Hmm. Could my character potentially be an experienced citizen of Trunau without taking the Trunau Native trait? (You mention specifically wanting one local, as in the players' guide, but I'm not sure if that person needs to take the trait).

Thinking escaped Belkzen slave-turned-Trunauan.


I would like to play. I have no PbP experience, but I do have RL pathfinder experience. I've been itching to play a witch for quite some time. I'll start working on a backstory/stat sheet and completing your application in a satisfactory manner (as soon as I read the player's guide tomorrow). Here's my sheet thus far: http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=267665


Thank you for answering my questions! I greatly appreciate it! Probably going to submit Norasha Mountainrunner, female dwarven paladin (archetypes: Stonelord, Warrior of the Holy Light) of Bolka. She'll be part of the Ninth Battalion.

By the way, Norasha means Mithral Moon in Dwarven.


Here is Grobradon, a half orc bard. As the background and allies might create a huge 'wall o text' I'm putting them in spoilers, but anyone is free to read them. It's also in the profile.

Background:

"Do you know how lucky we are to be in Trunau? Do you know how lucky you are?" Grobradon's parents would say every now and then to the young orcblood. And despite the fact the frontier town could be wiped off the map if even one battle should go very wrong, they meant it.

The standard way to create a half orc was well known. A hapless human woman gets caught by a rapacious orc, and before she could reach for her hope knife, is taken against her will; a grisly but common tale in these lands. And yet, that had not been the case for young Grobradon. While Trunau's citizens hated orcs, they did, of necessity, allow half orc children to live and grow in their community. Indeed, some gained great respect for their courage in fighting against their monstrous kinfolk. It was because of that mercy that two half-orcs, Grobradon's parents, grew to become citizens themselves. They eventually wed, and thus it was that Grobradon was born not of an act of savagery, but one of love.

The circumstances of his birth, his parents assured him, would not protect him from bigotry and hatred in other lands where even half an orc was one half too many. There, they warned, he'd be persecuted, hated, and mistreated. Even if he earned his way, he'd never be 'one of them'. In Trunau, he could be accepted like they had been. He was very lucky.
Very.
And it seemed to him, no one, most of all his parents, seemed to let him forget it. Trunaun citizens often boasted of being an independent lot of rugged individuals, being deserted by Lastwall long ago could do that to you, but Grobradon realized practical need made that something of an illusion. Everyone is expected to fight. Every child longed for the honor (A dubious honor, Grobradon thought) of a hopeknife. Everything seemed based on the town, providing for it, protecting it, and being useful.

Strangers who moved in and made themselves useful were often welcomed with open arms, but those who were born here and wanted to leave? There was heavy if silent scorn upon those who would 'desert' the town. As if wanting more than Traunua was raw ingratitude and possibly betrayal.

And Grobradon, in his heart of hearts, wanted more. His parents did not at first approve when he "wasted" his time in music rather than a "real" profession. His father was aghast when the boy worked like a dog over a summer only to waste the coin on a lute from some passing merchant. That changed somewhat when Grobradon showed a knack for raising the morale of the townsfolk. Folks requested he sing dirges at the burning of loved ones' remains. Grobradon hated dirges, but he knew the town came first and so he put on the most understanding face he could, and agreed. Folks called out for songs and tales of holding fast and praising the courage of holding against the orc raiders. This he didn't mind so much, but oh how he longed to tell stories of other places and times too. But he hid his disgruntlement and longing for the good of the town.

After all, he was very lucky to be here.

Grobradon swore the oath and took the hopeknife, even though he was pretty sure he'd never have the courage to kill himself given the option. It made him feel like a fraud to hold it.

While he wanted to focus even more on his music, he served his time on the walls and patrols for the town like everyone else. When he wasn't as tough as some 'other' orc bloods, he actually felt a bit guilty. Where was that rage that was supposed to be woven into his heritage?

When he became more than a mere minstrel, and a true bard, spells woven in his magic; he thought of pursuing any number of mystical melodies. But what Grobradon wanted wasn't nearly as important as what the town needed, and so he learned a song of healing. Even if he truly wished he could learn one that would allow him to speak any language, or run faster than a ram, or float like a feather, none of those were what the town needed.

Most folks tell Grobradon he's a good lad, a fine citizen (For one who mostly 'just' entertains), and how it's great he always seems to have a smile on his face (except, of course, when a smile would be the wrong expression). Grobradon just thanks them for the compliment, and screams a little inside.

At this point, he finds himself secretly praying to far off gods he only heard of but liked the sound of, and just hoping for a way he can see the world and be his own person without betraying his loved ones and the town that he has been told, again and again, that he owes everything to.

Allies and Foes:
One Close Friend: Japes Kneebane is the 'other entertainer' in town. The halfling is a juggler and acrobat by trade, and while he'll fight when called, he pretty much lives as he pleases, flirting with halfling, gnome, and dwarf women shamelessly, drinking now and then until he's happily drunk, and speaking his mind, and pox on anyone who has a problem with it. While some others in the town consider Japes a selfish do nothing, Japes is loyal to his few true friends, and considers "Grob" one of them. Grobradon, in turn, is fiercely envious of Japes' ability to live for himself and his own happiness without hurting anyone while doing so.

One Unknown friend: Grobradon knows Tawnith "Tawni" Bartlet, of course. She's a stoic no nonsense huntress who catches fresh game and seems to prefer her own company. The human lass has traded him fresh meat for song before, much to his surprise. Of course, somehow it eludes the half orc that the pretty human has a bit of a crush on him. At this point, Tawni is torn between kissing him, clubbing him, or cussing him out so he gets the damn point; all equally mortifying prospects for the normally shy loner. But she can't help but covertly aid him now and then.

One Known Enemy: While he may feel trapped in this town, Grobradon has patrolled before around it. During one eventful trip, the patrol encountered an orcish warband. Grobradon realized some half orc on the opposing side was inspiring the orcs through some music, and he lent his own voice to the patrol to counter. When the Trunaun patrol won, Pok Sobek, the skald in the orcish warband, found his pride terribly pricked that he lost in a battle of voices. He swore vengeance upon Grobradon, and Grobadon, for his turn, gave a few insults in orcish back at the sore loser.

One Unknown enemy: Galgos Chut smiles at Grobradon when he passes, but that smile masks a deep resentment towards the youthful bard A thin, spidery human in his middle years, Galgos is not particulary loved but he's been an expert on the local history of the town and area for awhile now. He also charged dearly for that knowledge, calling himself by the high title of 'Sage'. Galgos has found milking people for coin when they need answers harder of late, as the good natured Grobradon is happy to share what he himself knows about history for free! While Grob is not Galgos' equal, Galgos fears it is only a matter of time before the young bard learns enough to make him obsolete. Already profits are down. Too cowardly to take action on his own, the 'sage of Trunau' may yet covertly hire someone to make trouble for the unsuspecting bard.

I should add that while I suppose I have him acting rather lawful good, I've got him listed as NG as, once he starts adventuring, he'll learn how better to balance helping others without living by everyone else's rules as much.


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Here is Avari Fadarack, for your consideration.

I hope the way that I did her NPC associations is okay. I used her mother as the known friend, largely because I imagine Avari being someone who hasn't had the easiest time making friends within Trunua. I contemplated writing up a person who she might be close friends with, but then I considered that role might be better filled by another PC, especially if there are other Trunua natives in the party. If that is a problem, let me know and I'll write up something more specific for the known friend.


Avari Fadarack wrote:

Here is Avari Fadarack, for your consideration.

I hope the way that I did her NPC associations is okay. I used her mother as the known friend, largely because I imagine Avari being someone who hasn't had the easiest time making friends within Trunua. I contemplated writing up a person who she might be close friends with, but then I considered that role might be better filled by another PC, especially if there are other Trunua natives in the party. If that is a problem, let me know and I'll write up something more specific for the known friend.

Interesting character you got there!


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Thanks :)

It'll be interesting to see how your character turns out. Avari would probably get along with a dwarven paladin.


Avari Fadarack wrote:

Thanks :)

It'll be interesting to see how your character turns out. Avari would probably get along with a dwarven paladin.

Cool! And you're welcome! Norasha would get along well with your character as well. They might even become good friends.

Sczarni

Interested.

Will have a character up tonight.

Most likely a sorcerer or enchanter.


Dotting for interest with a dwarven ranger. will get something up later.


Are Occult Adventures classes allowed too?

Of course this campaign seems like one of the best for Cavaliers since giants are going to have big hallways.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Dotting for interest as well.

Liberty's Edge

Nice! I think I have just the character for this.

Dark Archive

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Yes, you may draw from Occult Adventures.


Question about the relations and associations part of the application:

Do the friends and enemies have to be in Trunau or can they be somewhere else? The same goes for the contact as well.

I'm just about done, but I just needed to know about that first before I can finish up.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.


I am considering a caster, something arcane or an oracle.

Dark Archive

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They do not have to be in Trunau, though it might make it a bit easier to work them into the story. I leave that up to you. Same goes for contacts.


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I'm very interested in this game, and I was considering a Sorcerer with a Draconic or Linnorm bloodline; I'm a little off on my geography here - is Trunau too far to possibly host Linnorms? I plan to re-read the guide when I get home, but I thought I'd ask.

If we're going to be too full on arcane casters, I might consider an Oracle. I'm kind of in the mood to try out a spontaneous caster.


I think you might have accidentally skipped over my question: Are you going to allow the Variant Multiclassing rules in Unchained? My character can work either way, since he wouldn't get anything till level 3, but it would work with his backstory.


WhtKnt wrote:
They do not have to be in Trunau, though it might make it a bit easier to work them into the story. I leave that up to you. Same goes for contacts.

Thank you for answering! I greatly appreciate it. I just have to think of some good associates and contact for Norasha and she'll be ready to go! I hope to have them up tonight. I have the rest of her up already but I'll post when everything is up. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

Dark Archive

Sure, I'll have to refresh myself on the multiclassing rules from Unchained, but I don't see that it is a huge issue.


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Basically, you end up losing 5 feats and gaining 5 class abilities.


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Here is my submission:

Avast:
Agast Grogh
Male half-orc warpriest of Gorum 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60)
CN Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 11 (1d8+3)
Fort +4 (+5 circumstance bonus vs. cold weather), Ref +1, Will +3
Defensive Abilities orc ferocity
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee battleaxe +4 (1d8+3/×3) or
. . dagger +3 (1d4+3/19-20) or
. . dagger +3 (1d4+3/19-20) or
. . heavy mace +3 (1d8+3)
Ranged sling +1 (1d4+3)
Special Attacks blessings 3/day, sacred weapon (1d6, 0)
Warpriest Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +2)
. . 1st—bless, cure light wounds
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, purify food and drink (DC 11), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 11
Base Atk +0; CMB +3; CMD 14
Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (battleaxe)
Traits armor expert, orphaned by giants
Skills Acrobatics -2 (-6 to jump), Heal +5, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (religion) +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Giant, Orc
SQ blessings (glory: demoralizing glory, glorious presence, strength: stength of will, strength surge), orc blood
Combat Gear holy weapon balm; Other Gear studded leather, light steel shield, battleaxe, dagger, dagger, heavy mace, sling, sling bullets (30), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, chalk, cold weather outfit, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, wooden holy symbol of Gorum, 40 gp, 6 sp, 9 cp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Blessings (3/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Cold weather outfit +5 Fort save vs. cold weather.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Orc Ferocity (1/day) If brought below 0 Hp, can act as though disabled for 1 rd.
Orphaned by Giants +1 trait bonus on atk rolls and +2 trait bonus to confirm criticals vs giants.
Sacred Weapon (Su) As a swift action, grant weapon enhancement bonus or certain powers.
--------------------
Product of an orc raiding party into a human enclave, Agust was teased and bullied by the human children around him. As he grew in age and size, he became feared by those around him, so he left his home and traveled to Trunau, where he found work as an apprentice blacksmith, specializing in armour and weapons. Reaching the age of 17, he readies himself to go out into the mountains and test his skills fighting against the giants that have caused his misery.


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Well, I feel a bit dense... I put up the fluff (See a few posts above) where it could be read, but left the crunch in profile only. In case that was too extreme an oops, let me put the sheet part up.

Character sheet:
Grobradon Bridgeworth
Male half-orc bard 1
NG Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +3
Defensive Abilities orc ferocity
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee hopeknife +2 (1d4+1/19-20) or
. . longsword +1 (1d8+1/19-20)
Ranged shortbow +1 (1d6/×3)
Special Attacks bardic performance 7 rounds/day (countersong, distraction, fascinate [DC 13], inspire courage +1)
Bard Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st (2/day)—cure light wounds, sleep (DC 14)
. . 0 (at will)—dancing lights, detect magic, prestidigitation, summon instrument
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 13, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 17
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 12
Feats Extra Performance
Traits militia veteran (any town or village), trunau native
Skills Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (geography) +2, Knowledge (history) +6, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +4, Perform (sing) +7, Perform (string instruments) +7, Sleight of Hand +4, Survival +1; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Draconic, Orc
SQ bardic knowledge +1, orc blood
Other Gear leather armor, buckler, arrows (20), hopeknife, longsword, shortbow, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, Lute, masterwork backpack, soap, trail rations (5), waterskin, 21 gp, 1 sp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Bardic Knowledge +1 (Ex) Add +1 to all knowledge skill checks.
Bardic Performance (standard action, 7 rounds/day) Your performances can create magical effects.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Orc Ferocity (1/day) If brought below 0 Hp, can act as though disabled for 1 rd.
--------------------

EDIT: I also see I'm not the only one using this Avatar for his submission. If need be, I'll change mine to avoid confusion

Lantern Lodge

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
spectrevk wrote:
I'm a little off on my geography here - is Trunau too far to possibly host Linnorms?

Trunau is in the southern part of the Hold of Belkzen, very close to the Mindspin Mountains. The most famous linnorms are certainly in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Directly north of the Hold of Belkzen are the Realms of the Mammoth Lords. You would have to traverse that area and Irrisen to get to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings or cut through northern Varisia and the Kodar Mountains. However, I don't think there is anything that says linnorms only live there. Would seem reasonable to find them in the Mindspin Mountains and definitely in the Kodar Mountains since that is where the Linnorm Kings do a lot of their linnorm hunting.


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@Avari: The "Defender of the Society" trait typically requires you to be a member of the Pathfinder Society, which might suggest a faction relation (though as the child of a famous adventurer, perhaps one of his former traveling companions looked you up, sent you a bit of cash, and is a contact trying to recruit you).

@spectrevk: If you've never played an oracle before, they're quite fun. Belkzen doesn't have any native linnorms that I know of (they wouldn't play well with the orcs), but there are definitely dragons in the Mindspin Mountains not too far away, and the Land of the Linnorm Kings isn't far beyond that for a non-native Trunauan to travel from.


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Annnd here's Thunderbeard, with a character. (Details mirrored in alias, in case they're easier to find there)

Dango Broken-Spear
Halfling Monk 1 (Underfoot Adept, Ki Mystic)
Alignment: LN, Deity: Erastil, Age: 28, Faction: None (yet? none make sense for him at game start)

Backstory:

Dango was born to a family of Varisian wanderers. Hunters and craftsmen by trade, his halfling parents and uncles working as guards and cartwrights with a trading caravan that traveled the North.

And then one day, the caravan stumbled into the wrong sort of gorge, and was set upon by Orcish raiders. Though many around him died, the young Dango, still a child, was taken captive alongside his parents. He grew up over the next decade in the slave-pits of Belkzen, living the sort of terrible life that does not need elaboration here. The orcs of Belkzen, ruthless as they may be, rely a great deal on slaves, and thus as badly treated as they were the skilled and hard-working family was still useful enough to be kept alive and mostly healthy.

But Dango’s parents were lovers of freedom and justice, and together with some of the other stronger and more defiant prisoners they trained in secret for years. With his parents and a dozen other slaves, Dango learned to fight with his hands and feet over the next decade, practicing strength exercises and a quiet form of meditation that helped him stay healthy and resolved in the squalor and sadness. Grinding down broken tent poles and iron bars into makeshift spears and daggers, he toiled in secret and quiet, until the day a few chains were left unlocked and his fellow prisoners surged from their lodgings, overwhelming the stunned guards with kicking and biting and stabbing. While the larger slaves quickly grabbed weapons, Dango found he could easily tumble under and past the undisciplined orcs, kicking out legs from behind and sending one large orc to stumble onto his own standard, a tall spear bearing a piece of red fabric that he took from the battle as a keepsake. As the slaves fled for the hills, a roused orcish patrol caught up with them, and Dango’s parents were killed, though he and several of the stealthier escapees escaped through a quiet mountain pass to their freedom.

After wandering for days, he and his compatriots made it to the holdout of Trunau, where their tale of uprising against the orcs was met with hugs and alcohol. And while the others have long since moved on, fleeing to safer lands, Dango remained in the fortified city, happy to find a community he could help defend and perhaps seek some vengeance against the orcs that had held him captive for most of his life. Though a bit small to bear arms, he has proven a good enough fighter in training sessions, using unorthodox rolls and dives to upset his opponents while stabbing away haphazardly with whatever has been put into his hands. In the three years since arriving in Trunau, Dango has become a part of the city’s hunting and scouting corps, using his small size and stealth to reach vantage points or set up ambushes against large game.

Description and Personality:

Dango is a halfling, short but fierce. When on patrol, he wears dull leather to blend in with the rocks and plains around him; at other times, he dresses plainly but carries a dull red cloak with a smudged design and decorative stitching of his own make. Like all Trunauns, he carries a dagger around his neck that he would never think to use; his primary weapon is a long, slender, crooked hunting spear, but he also carries a quiver of tiny dart-sized spears for throwing.

When he fights, Dango uses a series of rolls and leaps, diving behind enemies and slashing at their backs, though he’s also learned to expertly trip charging foes with a flourish of his branched spear, a skill he’s found useful for stopping wild game as well as annoying his compatriots during training matches. He is almost always calm, especially while hunting, and is quick to offer tactical advice to whomever he travels with in the midst of fighting.

On the inside, Dango does have a bit of a Napoleonic complex. He longs to face enemies or animals larger than himself; anything smaller than orc-sized is a friend, not a foe, and he delights in bringing larger opponents to their knees. To some extent, he will be ever looking for larger things to fight, either with humiliating trips and flourishes or simple well-placed blows against a nice big target.

Character choices explained:

I really wanted to take the feat Big Game Hunter at first level, but few games have large enemies at level 1, and without something like Weapon Finesse as my one selectable feat I figured Dango would just wind up a burden to the team. Instead, I plan to take a level in fighter at level 2, and pick up the feat then, primarily for flavor (for now, at least)—with Weapon Finesse representing his general acknowledgement of his own agility during the training he’s had.

Dango isn’t currently proficient with many weapons, but he is still a bit in training; as it stands, an elven branched spear is the best reach weapon he can use, and thus likely what he’d already carry as a goat and boar hunter, since pigsticking traditionally works best with long spears set against an animal charge. A bit of fighter training after first level would round out Dango finishing up his training weigh weapons in Trunau, something he’s only spent a little time on so far.

Helpful is a unique and interesting halfling trait; it fits alright with his lawfulness and general desire to defend his new home. Along with Ki Mystic, this will represent a general talent toward aiding others, something he is fine with as a halfling of only simple ambitions. Vexing Dodger seems to make the most sense for an Underfoot Adept, as Dango uses agility and acrobatics to bring down larger foes with style.

Allies and Enemies:

This is something I always have trouble with. Level 1 characters are at the beginning of their career—young, inexperienced, without much time spent fighting—so it feels weird giving them allies powerful enough to be relevant later, or enemies vengeful or powerful enough to become interesting nemesis. (In the same way, I often feel like it makes sense for lower-level characters to have shorter backgrounds—or at least ones with less fighting and real-world experience). And since unknown relations are a surprise to the character, I prefer to leave that to GM discretion. But here’s what I think feels appropriate.

Known Enemy: Cragtooth the Boar
In the Mindspin foothills near Trunau, the rare wild boar can be a fine prize for a hunter used to chasing mountain sheep and antelope. Intelligent and ferocious, a boar can be a challenging adversary, forcing hunters to use agility and set spears. But the dire boar Cragtooth is not like other wild boars. Once a trained orcish war beast, the old creature has developed a taste for human flesh: vicious and crafty, he stalks far and wide from the Mindspin Mountains to the plains of Belkzen, attacking lone travelers in the dusky light of sunset. Over the years, Cragtooth has killed two of Dango’s friends and fellow hunters and injured several more. Once, the beast even ambushed a small patrol the halfling was a part of, driven back after a spear Dango threw lodged itself in his left flank. But in the instant before the old boar fled, Dango thought he saw something in its eyes of hatred and vengeance, a thought that still worries him when hunting alone to this day.

Unknown Enemy: Warleader Graaghammer
When Dango fled the slave-pits of Belkzen, he snatched the banner from a nearby fallen standard-bearer to use as a blanket against the bitter cold. Later, he had the square of fabric fashioned into a cloak he wears as a memento of the escape, its original design defaced with crude stitching of his own and the bright red of the orcish banner darkened and dulled with dirt and pitch. But the orc whose colors he took was a minor officer in the local horde, whose brother, Warleader Graaghammer, now wears the same colors and commands a larger battalion. Should one of Graaghammer’s orcs get a good look at Dango’s cloak, he might recognize the insult, and report it to the battalion’s vengeance-seeking commander.

Known Friend: Huntsmaster Talion
One of the Lastwall Crusaders still alive since Trunau’s founding, Master Talion is an old elf who spends much of his time training the city's youth. Though crippled centuries ago and never much of a military hero, his skill with a bow and spear is extensive, and he carries with him a great deal of patience. It is Talion who trains many of the younger hunters and scouts, and he was the one to train Dango in the use of weapons, giving him a curious bent spear that would help someone his size defend against charging boars and goats.

Unknown Ally: A hidden relative
Though Dango thought the rest of his family was killed during his escape, he never got a good look at what happened, and one (or both) of his parents still survives, either free or back in captivity. As this is more of a mystery to the character than the others, I'm intentionally leaving the details here vague, to let the GM do whatever he wants with this if it comes up at his discretion.

Combat Role:

• Dango is a melee character with two different offensive roles, depending on who he’s fighting. Against smaller enemies (without reach) like orcs and goblins, he’ll be a threatening defender with a reach weapon and a decent CMB, tripping, disarming or grappling. Against enemies large or bigger, he’ll get some really nice damage boosts from his feats, tumbling through their reach to deliver brutal monk flurries.

• Defensively, Ki Mystic and Bodyguard will allow Dango to boost his allies’ defenses against serious attacks or re-roll saves, letting him function as a decent tank by protecting anyone near him from the occasional hit.

•Skill-wise, Dango has decent Perception and excellent Acrobatics/Stealth, allowing him to function as a party scout or help set up coordinated hunting-style ambushes

About the Player:

As you probably remember, I’m in your S&S game, which (for better or worse) probably tells you what you need to know about my posting frequency and tendency to play characters with personalities far from my own.

* * *

Crunchy crunchy stats:

Str 13
Dex 18
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 9

Offenses:
Speed 30’, Init +4

Unarmed +5 (1d4+1)
Unarmed Flurry +4/+4 (1d4+1)
Branched Spear +1 (1d6+1)
Branched Spear AoO +3 (1d6+1)
Hopeknife +5 (1d3+1, 19-20)

Shortspear +5 (1d4+1), 20’ range increment

CMB +0, Trip +7, Spear AoO Trip +5

Defenses:
HP 11 (1d10 + Con 2 + Favored 1)
AC 17 (Dex +4, Wis +1, Size +1, Underfoot +1 vs medium or larger)
T 17, FF 12
Fort + 4, Ref +6, Will +3
CMD 16 (15 vs small or smaller)

Feats: Improved Unarmed (Monk 1), Improved Trip (Monk 1), Weapon Finesse (1)

Feat Wishlist: Combat Reflexes (Monk 2), Big Game Hunter (Fighter Dip at level 2), Bodyguard (3 or 5), Risky Striker (3 or 5), Ki Throw (7, or second Fighter Dip), possibly Binding Throw or Improved Grapple (monk bonus 6?) etc.
Class Wishlist: Dip 1-2 in Fighter

Skills:
4 points (Monk 4)
*Denotes class skill

*Acrobatics +9/+12 through enemies (1 point, +1/+4 trait)
*Climb
*Craft
*Escape Artist
*Intimidate
*Knowledge (history)
*Knowledge (religion)
*Perception +7 (1 point, +2 racial)
*Perform
*Profession
*Swim
*Sense Motive
*Stealth +12 (1 point, +4 size)
Survival +2 (1 point)
*Swim

Racial abilities: Fleet of Foot (30’), Fearless (+2 vs fear), Underfoot (+1 AC, vs. trample), Keen Senses (+2 Perception)

Traits: Helpful (Aid Another +4), Vexing Defender (Acro +1/+4 through enemies)

Equipment:
6x Shortspear, Small
Elven Branched Spear, Small
Dagger
Ranger’s Kit
Masterwork Backpack

65 gp remaining


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GM WhtKnt: This is Corsario's proposal for your campaign, I hope you like her:

Description:
IMAGE
Age: 15; Height: 6'4"; Weight: 250 lbs
At first glance she looks human. But she is not beautiful by any standard. She looks too big. She is too strong. Her face is too rough. She grew up too fast. But she seems human nevertheless. Her voice, maybe a little too coarse, is undeniably feminine.
But she is HUGE for a girl. Much more if you know she is only 15 years old. I mean, she looks young, specially her eyes, betraying some youthful innocence, but that can't hide the fact that she is bigger and stronger than most fully grown man. Her factions are hard, her hair black and coarse, but even so she has no body hair at all (a fact a learned person would identify as a sign of her Orc parentage).
She tries, maybe too hard, to be feminine, and human. But she can't avoid the allure of working outside, and do physical intensive activities. And now she is enjoying more and more the thrill of combat, the ecstasy of letting all of her pretensions and lies go away, rage, and fight with abandon, letting a previously dormant part of herself explode in a storm of strength and fury.
When you see her arrive you have to imagine she is a very strong girl, carrying all of her weapons, greatsword and throwing axe at the waist, lance and lucerne hammer on her back, a sling tied up on her left forearm, HopeKnife proudly shown on her breast, while moving with grace and speed, as if all that metal is nothing.
Her dress is very humble, just normal peasant clothes, covered by a used and somewhat ill fitting studded leather armor. She normally covers her hair with a varisian scarve, but tied up in a Ulfen cold weather way.

Biography:
Daughter of Halgra of the Blackened Blades, another of her numerous descendants, she is by far the biggest and strongest of them, both male and female.
If you are not from Trunau you would thing she is a human girl, even if unblessed by beauty, but huge and strong. But the locals residents know she is really a Half Orc, even if, by the will of the Gods, she looks very much like her mother, and nothing like the orc father she never knew.
She normally works in fields around Trunau as general farmhand, as she has done for several years. But she is starting to spend more time with the militia, fighting alongside Patrol Captains Kurst and Rodrik Grath (and developing a crush on them both).
She has learned to use her new puberty-appearing rage to become a fierce warrior, invaluable in their fight against orcs and other menaces to town.
Internally she is ashamed she is half orc. A creature. A wolf in sheep clothing. She cries frequently, at night, invaded by big melancholies, fearing no one will never love her.

Sales Pitch:
Tuva Halgra is a Half-Orc trying too hard to pass as human. She has the Pass as Human Feat (which greatly helps her maintain the illusion she is a normal human girl), the Almost Human Trait (further helping her Disguise) and finally the Skilled and Cliffside Charger Alternate Racial Traits (which take away the Darkvision, Ferocity and Weapon familiarity normal or Orcs).
She is a Trunau Native (Trait), and I took the liberty of making her one of the multiple daughters of Halgra, some of which are mentioned to be Half-Orcs.
One Close Friend: Ruperta Sloboda, an orphan Varisian girl, feminine and charming, the role model for Tuva on what being a "normal" human girl really is. Ruperta worked with Tuva on the farms, and learned to appreciate the help on the work of her less beautiful friend, and they have both grown to thrust and love each other, promising to be best friends forever. Ruperta is growing at a slower pace than her friend, and has no interest on joining the Patrol (which Tuva is growing to like more and more). Ruperta is becoming a very beautiful woman, and without Tuva's protection would be an easy prey for many a man in town.
One Unknown Friend: One of the Patrol Captains Kurst or Rodrik (DM Choice). He sees Tuva as a girl feeling the pains of growing up with the extra difficulty of having an important mother, no father figure and the orc ancestry on top of all that. He things Tuva needs some time to sort out her feelings, learn to love herself, and she will become a valuable member of the community.
One Known Enemy: Her Mother, Halgra. They have grown very distant, as she doesn't approve her daughter shame in being a half-orc, which in turn reflects back to her as a condemnation of her "affair" with an orc. That sentiment has grown to a full enmity, with them growing apart more and more as the time passes. Halgra sees Tuva as a very mix up girl, getting more and more out of control, without pride and direction, while Tuva sees in her mother somebody that is not worthy of the respect and responsibility she has now. And they are very public on their views.
One Unknown Enemy: One of the Patrol Captains Kurst or Rodrik (DM Choice). He thinks Tuva is very wrong in her animosity against her mother, is a spoiled brat and deserves to be run out of town and let her grow some sense in the outside world, not protected by her mother's reputation and position.
About the Factions: Does Halgra has a faction? Which one?

Character Sheet
About Myself:
I am very active on the forums, posting very frequently (advantages of my work). Currently DMing a module I started (Murder's Mark) and one I took over from a missing DM (Academy of Secrets - In which I was one of the original players and now DMPC), and I am playing in several campaigns, from which I would ask you to check Ruperta of Hetzau in The Curse of the Crimson Throne, Magnitofera Skeller in Kingmaker, and Maria van Berchove in the Black Monastery module.

Note:
English is not my primary language, so I hope you forgive some minor errors.


dot - might go with a cleric here


So... I changed Dango to an Unchained Monk, realizing this simplifies everything a whole lot (though it means he's not a specialized archetype, very little changes—he's now a bit better at disarming, a bit worse at tripping, and instead of tripping his enemies with a branched spear he's now whipping a blade on a string around his head to catch them up in). A few elements of backstory have been slightly altered, and Big Game Hunter now feels more reasonable as a level 1 feat.


Haggis

The Story of Haggis:
Haggis was a young rough and tumble lad growing up in Trunau. He was always fond of friendly scuffles and boisterous boasting of imagined feats. In a small giant raid upon the town when he was 17, he found himself hard-pressed to survive an encounter with one of the younger giants participating in the raid. In a fit of pure luck, he was able to grab snatch the oversized greataxe from the giant and cut off one of his hands, sending the giant rushing back to the mountains.

Luckily, no lives were lost when the raid ended a short while later, though there were several wounds that needed magical healing to deal with. Keeping the greataxe he took from the giant as a spoil of war, he dedicated himself to learning how to use the large weapon, knowing it would help with fending off future attacks.

A few years after the attack, he volunteered to set up an outpost in the mountains to help warn the town in the event another raiding party, either of orcs or giants, approached Trunau. Over the years since, he learned the myriad ways of traveling the mountain paths, often serving as guide to the few travelers who brave the high peaks. In particular, a small group of Pathfinders frequently travel the paths, learning all they can about the history and culture of the races residing in the high peaks, both sentient and not.

Little does he know, the giant he wounded so long ago survived, quickly rising to lead the small band of raiders. He has sworn revenge on the human who cut off his hand, and seeks to kill Haggis whenever he can.

Haggis goes back to Trunau every year for the Hopeknife Festival, where he spends time drinking in the tavern and retelling tales of his mountain travels, and of course the story of how he gained the greataxe he never places far from himself. 5 years into his life in the mountains, during one of his yearly trips, he found himself in love with the blacksmith's daughter and promised to wed her when he was better able to provide for a family.

I tried to get everything you wanted in his story, please let me know how it looks and if I need to change/fix anything. BTW, I plan to Variant Multiclass into Barbarian, who doesn't gain anything until 3rd level, was why I asked earlier. Hope to be picked!

EDIT: Oh, I tend to be on between 5-7 a.m. and 5:30-8 or so p.m. CST. Posting multiple times per day shouldn't be a problem for me.

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